Wilco, Rage rock Lollapalooza

Headliners draw sell-out crowd to fest's day two

CHICAGO -- Two very different rock acts headlined at the same time on opposite ends of Chicago's Grant Park Aug. 2, closing the second day of Lollapalooza. Wilco and Rage Against The Machine helped draw the second sell-out crowd in a row to the event, a feat which had never happened in the previous three years.

Though Rage certainly deserved the spotlight as the sun set, tearing into tracks like "Calm Like a Bomb" and "Bulls on Parade," a few hundred fans made their own noise by breaking down a fenced barrier around the perimeter and rushing into the grounds. A number of fans were also ejected by security for moshing.

There were no such issues across the field as the six members of Wilco traipsed out in unique, rhinestone-enhanced country and western suits, each in a different bold color. Frontman Jeff Tweedy would later joke, "We saw Radiohead last night, which was awesome, but they obviously haven't been doing a lot of sewing."

The group's performance was enjoyably loose as it touched on its vast back catalog, opening with the oldie "Misunderstood" and closing with the one-two punch of the vintage "Monday" and "Outtasite (Outta Mind)." The Total Pros horn section guested for the last five tunes, and Wilco also played a new song, "One Wing," which built nicely on the minor-key guitar attack featured on the 2007 album "Sky Blue Sky."

Earlier, soul-influenced acts Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings and Jamie Lidell kept things classy; although the latter's band was dressed to impress, Lidell himself simply wore a short terrycloth robe and a conical bamboo hat. Lupe Fiasco took the stage in an all-white suit to the tune of the "Rocky" theme, as the announcer heralded a "new name" for the festival: "Lupepalooza."

Other Saturday highlights included a spirited, sexually charged set from hip-hop act Spank Rock, Broken Social Scene, the world music-influenced rock of Devotchka, MGMT, Okkervil River, the Gutter Twins, the Ting Tings and country start Dierks Bentley, whose omnipresent "Who the Hell is Dierks Bentley?" t-shirts clad many a festivalgoer throughout the day.